Indiana Freshmen Take Irish To School

December 06, 1989|By Joseph Tybor, Chicago Tribune.

BLOOMINGTON, IND. — Sometimes kids will surprise you, but no one expects an ambush.

Indiana`s Bobby Knight started four freshmen against supposedly deep, experienced Notre Dame. The youngsters promptly beat the shorts off their elders 81-72, handing the Irish their second straight defeat.

The Hoosiers disrupted the up-tempo game Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps wanted to play with a tenacious, running, relentless defense that rattled and befuddled the Irish from the time freshman Calbert Cheaney hit a 5-footer in the lane to put the Hoosiers up 2-0 before a screaming throng of 17,311 in Assembly Hall.

The Irish tied it 2-2, clawed back from a 9-2 deficit to within 13-10 but then got buried.

The final score didn`t reflect the beating the Irish took, particularly in the first half.

For the second game in a row, the Irish looked for their senior leaders the way lost kids look for their mom in a shopping mall.

Or were those looks for LaPhonso Ellis, the Irish sophomore tower who is sitting out because of academic problems?

Joe Fredrick missed everything he tried until there were only 5 minutes left in the first half and looked so anxious and confused on the floor Phelps pulled his senior leader with less than 4 minutes gone in the game.

Fredrick ended up with only six points-two in the first half when he turned the ball over four times in only 7 minutes of first-half play.

Jackson also contributed little. He had eight points-two in 7 minutes of first-half play.

At one point near the 7-minute mark of the first period, the Irish averaged a turnover per minute. They finished the half with 16 to Indiana`s 6. Indiana had eight first-half steals to Notre Dame`s two.

``We`re supposed to show a motion offense and we go out there and stand around,`` said Fredrick.

This was supposed to be a test for Knight`s kiddie corps, who ran up their fourth straight victory. He has has seven freshman on his 13-man roster- the fruits of the best recruiting class of the year.

Instead of facing a test, the Hoosiers looked like the teacher putting on a clinic.

Cheaney finished with 20 points, Greg Graham 16 and Reynolds 14.

``We got a good game from Reynolds,`` said Knight. ``It was the best guard play I think we`ve had.

``We executed, moved the ball, handled the ball and cut well without the ball tonight.``

Phelps knows athletic talent sometimes can make up for a lack of experience.

``If you have athletes who can play the game, it doesn`t matter what year they`re in,`` Phelps said.

It was the second straight poor game for Fredrick and Jackson, who scored only a combined 13 points in the loss against Louisville on Saturday.

``We just have to get-somehow, someway-Jamere and Joe into the game,`` said Phelps and he hinted at possibly bringing one or both off the bench.

``Joe is struggling right now. He misses a jumper, he gets the ball and he misses a layup. He gets the ball and he walks. ``We have to get his confidence going.``

Fredrick readily acknowledges the difficulty.

``It`s no one`s fault but mine, `` he said. ``Maybe I should come out. I don`t deserve to start right now.``

The last time the Irish or Phelps won here was 1974-two seasons before Knight won his first NCAA basketball championship. The Irish have dropped six straight here.